any ideas? problem with nipple waterers

[junior67]

Well that's confusing for sure. Have you tried putting a camera on them to see if they're drinking when you're not around?

We have two treadle feeders that all my chickens use and 24/7 feed access. Yet in the morning, when I put 4 scoops of feed in dog bowl, it's the most exciting thing they've ever, ever, seen and they must rush to eat it. Never mind that the exact same food is sitting in the treadle feeders and they can eat it all day. Maybe your chickens are doing something similar, and are just waiting for you to push the button for the water to come out.

What is the material the trash barrel is made of? I'm assuming it's plastic and doesn't make scary sounds when you peck it? They might have just gotten used to it being hard to peck open and not realized it isn't hard to do any more.

I have a camera but since the heater needs to be plugged in it is right next to my coop and the camera is on my coop facing the run so can't really see it in the camera. I can see if a couple over there but not if they are drinking it.

Yes it is plastic so no scary sounds. Maybe it is hard to peck. I really don't want to have to make another one. Lol

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Darn bratty chickens

Yea right!

 

[LilRedmamma]

ok. So my flock has been raised on nipple waterers. It is the first thing I use when I get them or hatch them. So they ALL know how to use them. I do use cups as well as the nipples in the summer so they will drink more when it is hot out.

This winter I changed to a 30 gallon barrel (think it is 30 gal) with a stock tank heater in it. I had a 5 gal bucket but with 21 chickens I figured they would be going through it pretty fast. They weren't using the new 5 gal much so figured where it was a different brand of nipples maybe they didn't work well so when I made the 30 gal one I bought rentacoop ones since that is what they use in their 2 gal bucket, and what I had on their old 5 gal one (that one needed to be replaced in the summer). Well they aren't really drinking out of the 30 gal one either and when I am in there and tap the metal piece they all drink from under it like they are dying of thirst. I fill up the 2 gal one and they go NUTS drinking out of that one (has the EXACT same nipples on it as the 30 gal)......... But with 21 they can go through the 2 gal in 1-1.5 days so I don't want to have to always be filling it and worrying about the stock tank heater being out of it since it is so little. and we normally are dealing with freezing water at this time of year (thankfully haven't really had to besides a week here and there) so I have to think of that.

Any ideas WHY they seem like they can't figure out the bigger barrel with the nipples but drink with zero issues out of the 2 gal rentacoop water bucket??? It makes NO sense to me. I have tried letting the other one dry up to force them to use the bigger one but then they all seem so thirsty so I fill the small one and as I said they all go NUTS and drink like crazy from it so thinking they aren't really using the other one. I have I think 10 nipples and spaced further apart on the big one than on the little one so not like too close together or not enough nipples or anything like that...... I just don't get it.

Maybe it’s a height difference they’re uncomfortable at? Different color? Temperature? Sorry I’m not sure either.

 

[junior67]

Maybe it’s a height difference they’re uncomfortable at? Different color? Temperature? Sorry I’m not sure either.

Think they are really close to the same height. They are both on half a cinder block. The containers are different colors. And water is different temps since one has a heater to keep it above freezing... They are so odd. Lol

 

[Yardmom]

I have seen pictures of others using nipple waters with barrels. I really don't know why they are not drinking from it. Have you double checked that the heater is working and installed properly making absolutely sure they are not getting shocked.

 

[junior67]

I have seen pictures of others using nipple waters with barrels. I really don't know why they are not drinking from it. Have you double checked that the heater is working and installed properly making absolutely sure they are not getting shocked.

I press the nipples to try to get them to use it and I haven't gotten shocked from it at all so assuming they aren't. I think mine are just brats. Lol

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I press the nipples to try to get them to use it and I haven't gotten shocked from it at all so assuming they aren't. I think mine are just brats. Lol

They can be brats to! I finally got one to drink out of the heated waterer! After almost 1 year of them having it one drank the water. I was super happy, maybe i wont have to go buy another heated waterer. @junior67 maybe give them more time and have you tried holding a piece of food or of their feed on thr waterer and get them to at least peck it. Thats what i do every day for 5 minutes.

 

[junior67]

They can be brats to! I finally got one to drink out of the heated waterer! After almost 1 year of them having it one drank the water. I was super happy, maybe i wont have to go buy another heated waterer. @junior67 maybe give them more time and have you tried holding a piece of food or of their feed on thr waterer and get them to at least peck it. Thats what i do every day for 5 minutes.

I haven't tried that. Every so often when I am out there I will hear or see one over there using it. One of them leaks slightly so most times they just drink where it is dripping or if I tap the nipple part they drink the water I get out.... Lol. But they go nuts over the other one, but with 21 I need to fill that one quite a bit, no heater in it so it freezes, and only 4 nipples so not ideal. At least I know if that one freezes they have one that they can drink from.

 

[FunClucks]

I had a thought for you - not sure if it's been suggested yet on this thread, but I had an issue with it so I thought I'd share -

What soap are you using to wash the waterers?

I've been using waterers made of 3 different types of plastic and some made of glass lately, and the chicks definitely prefer some of them over others. One of the plastic waterers seems to absorb the taste of the dish soap more than the others. [I wash baby bottles in the same soap and use them to take juice and water to work, and if I notice the off flavor of the dish soap the chickens probably do too - I know human babies do and will refuse bottles that have an off flavor.]

Might try getting some of the baby bottle washing dish soap and washing out the waterer the chickens don't like with that. That stuff is specially formulated not to leave a flavor behind.

 

[junior67]

I had a thought for you - not sure if it's been suggested yet on this thread, but I had an issue with it so I thought I'd share -

What soap are you using to wash the waterers?

I've been using waterers made of 3 different types of plastic and some made of glass lately, and the chicks definitely prefer some of them over others. One of the plastic waterers seems to absorb the taste of the dish soap more than the others. [I wash baby bottles in the same soap and use them to take juice and water to work, and if I notice the off flavor of the dish soap the chickens probably do too - I know human babies do and will refuse bottles that have an off flavor.]

Might try getting some of the baby bottle washing dish soap and washing out the waterer the chickens don't like with that. That stuff is specially formulated not to leave a flavor behind.

So far I have just used hose water and wiped them down. The barrel is new and the other one I used for my chicks when brooding them once the smaller one wasn't big enough to last more than a day. then it was rinsed and put away till the end of summer when I felt they needed more. So both not used long enough to need a scrub down.